Before Dawn

[abraxas]

 

[Jeff Canes]

wow i like this one, is that before the dawn of man or of the day?

 

[Zada]

Wow, that is stunning! Looks like fire

 

[SommarShade]

Wow, great color and I like the really wide on this a lot. Good comp

 

[abraxas]

wow i like this one, is that before the dawn of man or of the day?

Just the day. This is what I woke up to this morning (9/24), about 30 feet from my cot. It felt timeless though- I didn't see another human being for nearly 48 hours.

Wow, that is stunning! Looks like fire

Thanks.

Wow, great color and I like the really wide on this a lot. Good comp

Thank you. Ambient light, even on a cloudless morning, has such an effect on the granite and desert vegetation. I'm already planning my next trip.

 

[rjackjames]

Awesome shot.....how do u get such great colours??

 

[abraxas]

Awesome shot.....how do u get such great colours??

Thank you.

The properties of the landscape;
The granite in this area is pink (apelite?). The weathering tends to darken this to a reddish color.

Shoot before sunlight;
The biotite mica content is highly reflectant. Ambient light (before the direct sun rises) will bounce off the glassy mica particles. This was shot probably 15-20 minutes before actual sunrise.

Long exposure;
This was 13 seconds at f25. Slightly underexposed is better to retain the colors.

Post;
Slight levels and curve adjustments. Some dodging and burning for feature relief. You may notice there are no hard shadows.

Maybe use a warming filter on the foreground. The more I do these, the less I need to adjust with that.

IMO, the hardest thing about doing these is to get the focus right in near-dark conditions. I was thinking about carrying a flashlight, but I never remember, and they're too heavy anyhow, plus, I'd only need it for maybe 20 minutes. Once I start, I'm usually weighed down with my d80, d300, tripod, and canteen full of water (because it can get very hot, very fast). I go for about an hour after sunrise and spend about 30 minutes walking back.

 

[Alex_B]

That is a nice one. Love the colour and the contrasts.

 

[PuppY_K1ck3R]

Great job there Abraxas

 

[abraxas]

Thanks!

 

[Dmitri]

Beautiful. Shots like these make me wish travel was easier. Nicely done, again, Abraxas.

 

[abraxas]

Thank you Dmitri. I'm glad you enjoyed them.